Dictionary.com
definitions

assembly

[uh-sem-blee]
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR assembly ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural as·sem·blies.

an assembling or coming together of a number of persons, usually for a particular purpose: The principal will speak to all the students at Friday's assembly.
a group of persons gathered together, usually for a particular purpose, whether religious, political, educational, or social.
(often initial capital letter) Government. a legislative body, especially the lower house of the legislature in certain states of the U.S.: a bill before the assembly; the New York State Assembly.
Military.
  1. a signal, as by drum or bugle, for troops to fall into ranks or otherwise assemble.
  2. the movement of forces, tanks, soldiers, etc., scattered by battle or battle drill, toward and into a small area.
the putting together of complex machinery, as airplanes, from interchangeable parts of standard dimensions.
Machinery. a group of machine parts, especially one forming a self-contained, independently mounted unit.Compare subassembly.

RELATED CONTENT

Why Left and Right Mean Liberal and ConservativeDuring election seasons the words left and right denote political affiliation more than spatial direction. But where do these associations come from? The left hand has long been associated with deviance. The word “sinister” originally meant “to the left” in Latin. The word “left” comes from the Old English word lyft, which literally meant “weak, foolish.” To avoid the negative and superstitious associations of the …
READ MORE
prepperRead more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

gathering, crowd, cluster, huddle, council, rally, flock, bunch, conference, confab, group, crew, meeting, multitude, body, conclave, faction, company, convocation, aggregation

Nearby words

  1. assemblagist,
  2. assemble,
  3. assembled,
  4. assembler,
  5. assemblies of god,
  6. assembly district,
  7. assembly language,
  8. assembly line,
  9. assembly of first nations,
  10. assembly of the notables

Origin of assembly

1275–1325; Middle English assemblee < Middle French, literally, (that which is) assembled, feminine past participle of assembler to assemble
Related formspre·as·sem·bly, noun, plural pre·as·sem·blies.re·as·sem·bly, noun, plural re·as·sem·blies.self-as·sem·bly, noun, plural self·-as·sem·blies.
Can be confusedassemblage assembly

Synonym study

1, 2. See convention.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for assembly

British Dictionary definitions for assembly

assembly

noun plural -blies

a number of people gathered together, esp for a formal meeting held at regular intervals
the act of assembling or the state of being assembled
the process of putting together a number of parts to make a machine or other product
machinery a group of mating components before or after fitting together
military
  1. a signal for personnel to assemble, as by drum, bugle, etc
  2. (as modifier)an assembly area

Assembly

noun plural -blies

the lower chamber in various American state legislaturesSee also House of Assembly, legislative assembly, National Assembly
NZ short for General Assembly
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for assembly

assembly

n.

c.1300, "a gathering of persons, a group gathered for some purpose," from Old French as(s)emblee "assembly, gathering; union, marriage," noun use of fem. past participle of assembler "to assemble" (see assemble). Meaning "gathering together" is recorded from early 15c.; that of "act of assembling parts or objects" is from 1914, as is assembly line. School sense is recorded from 1932.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper